PANJIM: The State and the casino industry has reacted with circumspection to the NGT order on casinos and garbage disposal.
Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar categorically said that this order did not have any bearing as there is already a policy decision on casinos and they were being monitored.
“The government has already taken a policy decision on casinos. We have already said that there will be no more casinos. Also we have said that we will remove them after two years after their licences expire,” Parrikar said Tuesday.
The Captain of Ports is the nodal department that looks after and monitors garbage disposals.
CoP officials said, “We keep an eye on garbage dumping. Generally all casinos waste dumping is checked. If there is any violation, including by offshore casinos and even smaller boats, action, including fines and loss of licence can occur.”
The Goa State Pollution Control Board is the supervisory body.
Pollution board officials told Herald that the M V Horseshoe is being checked on a regular basis for garbage disposal. Now board is planning on checking disposal by rest of the casinos.
The order by the green tribunal directs the pollution control board to conduct an inspection and file a report by September 30.
Srinivas Nayak, Director of Casino Pride Group told Herald that the NGT order does not achieve any goal of prohibiting new casinos or dumping of waste in the river at a time when the government has already clearly said there will be no new casino licences issued and at a time when all offshore casinos are following the rules as far as waste disposal is concerned.
Other casino operators, not willing to come on record, said that it was surprising that an order has come when none of the offshore casinos are a party to the case nor has the government been asked to give its say in the matter.
Offshore casinos are under the MARPOL Convention (International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution From Ships) over disposal of solid waste and as far as sewerage is concerned, it is given to the PWD, said an operator. The NGT is only trying to take credit for something that is already in place, some operators said.
Another big time offshore casino operator said, “The NGT order does not really affect us. We do not dump any waste in the river and the government has also made it clear that it is not going to award any new offshore casino licences.”
